Endsinger by Jay Kristoff #BookReview #Dreamcast #Giveaway

A TREMBLING EARTH
The flames of civil war sweep across the Shima Imperium. With their plans to renew the Kazumitsu dynasty foiled, the Lotus Guild unleash their deadliest creation—a mechanical goliath known as the Earthcrusher, intended to unite the shattered Empire under a yoke of fear. With the Tiger Clan and their puppet Daimyo Hiro in tow, the Guild marches toward a battle for absolute dominion over the Isles.

A BROKEN REBELLION
Yukiko and Buruu are forced to take leadership of the Kagé rebellion, gathering new allies and old friends in an effort to unite the country against the chi-mongers. But the ghosts of Buruu’s past stand between them and the army they need, and Kin’s betrayal has destroyed all trust among their allies. When a new foe joins the war tearing the Imperium apart, it will be all the pair can do to muster the strength to fight, let alone win.

A FINAL BATTLE
The traitor Kin walks the halls of Guild power, his destiny only a bloody knife-stroke away. Hana and Yoshi struggle to find their place in a world now looking to them as heroes. Secret cabals within the Lotus Guild claw and struggle; one toward darkness, the other toward light. And as the earth splits asunder, as armies destroy each other for rule over an empire of lifeless ash and the final secret about blood lotus is revealed, the people of Shima will learn one last, horrifying truth.

There is nothing a mother won't do to keep her children by her side.

Nothing.

Other Books in the Series

The Lotus Wars series has such an epic feeling to it, all the way through. So much love, loss, friendship, betrayal, vengeance, forgiveness. It blows your mind and absorbs you into this world that is battling to right itself. Endsinger finishes out the series in amazingness. Jay Kristoff has made a fan girl out of me. Anything he writes is now an automatic add to my reading list.

One of the very cool things Jay does is have a summary of each character at the beginning of what happened to them in the last book and their current location. Even though I binge read the whole series, I still liked to read the summaries for each character. It helped build the outline in my own head of what was going. It’s like Jay takes notes for you. Which is awesome because his notes are way better then mine.

There are many mantras in the book. The Lotus Must Bloom..The Lotus Must Burn..Skin is Strong, Flesh is Weak….my favorite though is “Let me show you what one little girl can do”. If you are look for strong female characters look no further. Yukiko, Hana, Michi, Kaoru, Kasumi, Mikage, Kaiah, Aisha…..there is probably more I’m forgetting. Just like the men, some of these women fight because of pride, justice, vengeance and honor but they also had another layer. These women fight for a future and for their children. Most of them are warriors but they also use their sexuality and wit. Clever and cunning, I was impressed that Jay was able to show so many facets.

If you have read the first two books, you know that anything can happen. However there were still moments that I audibly gasped. Moments when I still thought just maybe something could turn around. Just all the moments….I can’t tell you the plot because I don’t want to spoil a single thing. It’s amazing and I actually had to pace myself because I told my husband I was not able to emotionally handle more. I was dreaming this series and if you know anything about it, well I had some crazy dreams.

There are so many characters and we bounce around perspectives so it keeps the plot moving. We get to see the action for all sides, all different points of view. Every minute of the book something is happening. I’m just amazed how each character is so vital to the story, they aren’t just filler you are invested in them. It’s so well written.

An explosion in my brain is what this book was. Just an amazing, crazy and intense ride. I’m emotionally torn up and suffering from a book hangover. I loved it.

Jay was kind enough to share his dream cast. I wish these books were movies.

Keiko Kitagawa as Yukiko

Takeshi Kaneshiro as Yoshi

Tsumabuki satoshi as Kin

Devon Aoki as Michi

Aya Ueto as Hana

Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of THE LOTUS WAR trilogy, a Japanese-inspired steampunk fantasy published by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press & Tor UK. Part 3, ENDSINGER, will be released in November 2014. He's also co-author of the upcoming ILLUMINAE (with Amie Kaufman), a YA Sci-Fi... thing, to be released by Knopf/Random House in 2015.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13520 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.